Quick, you have only 20 minutes to collect your most valuable possessions and evacuate your home.
What do you take?
What’s the most important to you?
What can’t you live without?
Unfortunately, this nightmare scenario has become all too real for those facing flood waters in Louisiana and wildfires in California.
Yet, out of their dire situations, we gain insights into the things that are truly important. When it comes down to it, the health and safety of our loved ones is all that matters. After that, most people would consider only a handful of items as being crucial in their lives.
Why then do we surround ourselves with so much unnecessary stuff? Those “to die for” shoes collect dust in your closet. The exercise equipment you paid a small fortune for sits idly in your garage. The books you were meaning to read form an untidy stack on your living room table.
Unfortunately, your hoarding habits come at a cost. In the pursuit of more possessions, you mortgage your financial future.
He who buys what he does not need steals from himself – Author Unkwown
Take an honest look in your closet, peek into your basement and prod through your garage. You’ll discover a world of items you’ve wasted your hard earned money on.
Now purge.
Go ahead, get rid of your excess stuff.
Sell your unused shoes on eBay, send your gently-worn clothes to the consignment shop and sell your never-used tools on Craigslist.
Mario Kondo, author of the best selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, suggests that you, “Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.”
It’s hard at first. But soon you’ll get the hang of it (and put some extra cash in your pocket to boot).
Once you declutter, you’ll never want to go back, and in the process you’ll realize how much of your money you’ve thrown down the drain.
More importantly, once you start purging your excess stuff, your spending habits will start to change. You’ll find yourself asking the really hard questions about every purchase:
Do I really need it?
Will it truly contribute to my happiness?
In a year, will I still be using it or will it still be collecting dust in the back of my closet?
Can I borrow or rent it?
Can I buy it used, or find it cheaper someplace else?
The best part of all, when you stop spending money on stuff you don’t really need, you’ll have the money you need to eliminate debt and save for the things that are truly important to you.
BMWK, take a look around. What things in your home truly matter to you? What stuff could you easily do without?